'Damaging Germany': Scholz expresses worry after success of far right in regional elections

NEWS WIRES

2 September 2024 at 2:16 am·1-min read

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed concern after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) topped the polls for the first time ever in the former East German state of Thuringia, and came a close second place behind the conservatives in Saxony, according to projections late on Sunday. With a year to go until Germany's national elections, the results were a blow to Scholz's fractious ruling coalition.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the results of two regional elections that saw big wins for the far-right AfD and losses for his coalition "bitter" and urged mainstream parties to form governments without "right-wing extremists".

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the first far-right party to win a state legislature election in Germany since World War Two with its result in weekend voting in Thuringia. It came a close second behind the conservatives in Saxony, projections late on Sunday showed.

(Reuters)

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